Making the Choice to Fly Solo

by Janice Anne Costa On Feb 1, 2001

I've always enjoyed singing and dancing, so when friends
convinced me to audition for a local production of "Guys &
Dolls," I thought it would be lots of fun. I love theater: Under
the bright lights, with costumes, props and scenery, I feel
confident and self-assured.

Then one day, with no warning, I walked into rehearsal and found
we had an impromptu audience. The theater's board of directors
wanted to hear a few of the songs from the show. Preferably in the
next five minutes.

Panic central.
No warning meant no costumes, no props, no orchestra to back us.
And "Sky," the show's inveterate gambler and my duet partner, had
suddenly disappeared for parts unknown. I was on my own.

Opening my mouth to sing not quite sure whether I'd produce a
sound or a squeak I suffered a world of terrors. What on earth was
I doing up here? I wondered. I can't do this! Yet as the music
began to flow out of me, and no gong sounded, no hook appeared to
drag me off stage some people even seemed to be smiling and nodding
in time to the song I experienced a delightful mix of joy, pride
and relief. In a few scant moments, I'd been transformed from
someone who'd dreamed to someone who'd done and I felt like my
performance skills jumped a level in that moment.

I mentioned the feeling to a kitchen and bath designer friend
recently, and she laughed. "That's exactly how I felt when I left
my showroom job and decided to become an independent designer! I
was terrified to find out that I might be all smoke and mirrors.
But then, I just did it. And it's made me 10 times the designer I
used to be."

Today, she says, "I'm just me, incorporated, all alone, no
lights, no displays, no staffand that's actually helped me to
rediscover why I went into the design business in the first
place!"'

Those who've tried it agree: It's a remarkable feeling, flying
solo. With neither a showroom nor a staff to back you, you're
forced to rely on nothing but you and that can be exhilarating. The
creative freedom allows you to explore new avenues of design,
specialty niches or non-traditional design ideas that beckon. Even
more important, the resulting challenge can push you to do your
best work, allowing you to reach new heights
professionally.'

Forget product, forget fancy displays; when you get back to
basics, it's all about whether you can sell that unique vision in
your head. And isn't that a designer's most valuable
asset?'

Flying solo can also provide a tremendous competitive advantage,
as it allows you to cut financial costs to the bone. No more
overhead for staff, office space, product displays and that means
more money for marketing your greatest assetyou.'

Of course, despite what the Nike commercials say, there's a lot
more to it than "just doing it." An excellent reputation, a strong
referral base, plenty of professional contacts and a healthy talent
for self-promotion are essential to going it solo. And being a
one-person operation means there's no one to delegate the tasks
you're weakest at, or the tasks you just plain hate, so it's not
for everyone.

But even if you're not ready to take that leap today, building
these strengths now will give you options for the future. As
overhead costs soar and big box chains continue to proliferate, the
solo option provides a potentially cheaper way to do business,
staying competitive by maximizing your strengths and your potential
profits.

Be warned, though: While going solo will buy you increased
creative freedom, it won't buy you freedom from those pesky little
business management details. If anything, working for yourself will
make your business management skills more important, not less.
Because, after all, you're all you have.

But then again, hasn't that always been the case? It's easy to
forget when you're working under the bright lights, in the safety
of your pretty showroom, surrounded by your "props," with a full
"cast" of professional salespeople, installers and finance people
to help you pull it together, that your customers aren't buying the
trappings. They're buying you. Your designs, your ideas, your
imagination.

Unlike the characters in my show, most folks don't gamble for a
living. But at some point in time, we all have to bet on something
so why not bet on yourself?